Throughout the month of Elul, the month preceding Rosh Hashanah, I will be sharing daily reflections to help each of us prepare for the upcoming High Holy Day Season. I hope these thoughts inspire each of us to make time, find the energy and initiate some passion as we reflect and examine this past year, in preparation for the year to come. And please, feel free to check out Makom NY: New Kind of Jewish Community, and if you don't have a place for the upcoming High Holy Day Season, please join us! You are welcome!When creating a list of ideas or Jewish concepts that might be good discussion for the month of Elul, I brainstormed both traditional Jewish ideas as well as basic, well-known concepts. Though I was probably thinking of “acceptance” in terms of God and theology when creating this list, or perhaps even acceptance of our Jewish identity and all that accompanies it, I actually think, particularly during the month of Elul, that acceptance can be about coming to terms with who I am, and what I, as an individual, am capable of accomplishing, or not.

As we take some time to reflect on who we are, we must realize both our strengths and our weaknesses. Sometimes our greatest weakness is the unrealistic goals we place on ourselves. As a full-time working mother, I know I like to think I can do it all. I can fulfill the goals I set for myself in my job; I can be there for my children, my husband and my family; and I can lead a healthy, directed life. The fact is, we cannot always do everything. We are only human. Perhaps part of the goal of the month of Elul is not only to prepare a list of what we hope to accomplish in this next year of 5776, but also to help ourselves create a list that is practical, manageable and attainable. As I begin to plan this year for myself and my family, I realize I need to remember what is just enough and what can be too much. Acceptance of our limitations as human beings is key to actually accomplishing our goals and being realistic in our expectations of life. I have always loved the story about Reb Zusya, who was told that he should not strive to be anyone but himself. Reb Zusya is heard to have said: “if God should ask me why I did not act like Abraham, I can say in truth that I was not Abraham. And if God asks me why I did not act like Moses, I can say in truth that I was not Moses. But if God asks me why I did not act like Zusya, what can I possibly say then?” We must accept that our goal in life is to be as great as each of us is capable of being, no more and no less. Determining what our capabilities are allows for a great level of understanding and acceptance.Now let the sound of the shofar be heard;And let our souls be awakened!